D-backs to go with rotation of Montero, Gosewisch

By Steve Gilbert / MLB.com

PHOENIX -- D-backs catcher Miguel Montero was out of the lineup for the second straight game Sunday and manager Kirk Gibson said he will get less playing time down the stretch with Tuffy Gosewisch getting more starts.

"I'm going to play Tuffy more and just have more of a rotation going forward," Gibson said. "There's really no reason to push [Montero] at this point. Tuffy's done a great job when I've played him so I think he's earned a little more playing time."

Montero has consistently ranked among the leaders in games caught during his career and Gibson wants to make sure he does a better job of getting him rest heading into next year.

"I'm not looking at next year," Montero said. "I got to finish this year, and then we'll look at next year. I'll take yesterday and today off, but obviously I've got personal goals as well that I would like to accomplish. Like maybe RBIs, homers, whatever it is. And I would like to accomplish it, and the only way to do it is playing. So I respect his decision, but let's see how long it lasts."

Montero has an on-base plus slugging mark of .757 while Gosewisch is limited action has an on-base plus slugging of .611.

"[Gosewisch] played sporadically and he's done a great job of staying ready and now he's played more and he's done the same thing," Gibson said. "He's swung the bat pretty good this year as well so it's kind of an emerging situation."

Hudson making progress at Arizona League

PHOENIX -- D-backs right-hander Daniel Hudson threw a scoreless inning in his second rehab appearance for the team's entry in the rookie Arizona League on Saturday.

Hudson is attempting to come back from a pair of Tommy John surgeries. He was just 10 days or so away from returning from the first one last June when he re-tore the ligament during a Minor League rehab outing.

"It's just progressing in the right direction," Hudson said. "I need to get a little bit of command back and feel for a couple offspeed pitches, but for the most part, feeling pretty good. Once I get a few more outings under my belt, I'll feel pretty comfortable out there -- enough to be confident I can get Major League hitters out."

The D-backs have taken things slowly with Hudson the second time around. His mechanics have been tweaked so that he puts less strain on his elbow and the plan for now is to use him as a reliever, hence the pair of one-inning outings so far on his rehab.

"It's a little different than what I'm used to, but it's just throwing a baseball," Hudson said. "It's different mentality, that's for sure, but at the same time, still just trying to get three outs."

Hudson will have two more outings in the Arizona League before likely heading to Triple-A Reno. The plan at this point is for him to make four to six appearances for the D-backs in September. The team will limit him to one-inning stints and watch his pitch count closely.